the apocalypse in art

120 Pages·2014·1.51 MB·English

THE SCHWEICH LECTURES IN
BIBLICAL ARCHAEOLOGY, 1927
THE APOCALYPSE
IN ART
THE APOCALYPSE
IN ART
BY
MONTAGUE RHODES JAMES, O.M.
Lrrr.D., F.B.A., F.S.A.
PROVOST OF ETON, SOMETIME PROVOST OF
KING'S COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE
THE SCHWEICH LECTURES
OF THE BRITISH ACADEMY
1927
LONDON
PUBLISHED FOR THE BRITISH ACADEMY
BY HUMPHREY MILFORD, OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
AMEN HOUSE, E,C,
I93I
OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
AMEN HOUSE, E.C. 4
LONDON EDINBURGH GLASGOW
LEIPZIG NEW YORK TORONTO
MELBOURNE CAPETOWN BOMBAY
CALCUTTA MADRAS SHANGHAI
HUMPHREY MILFORD
PUBLISHER TO THE
UNIVERSITY
PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN
PREFATORY NOTE
I N sending forth these Lectures, which were delivered in
December, 1927, I feel that I ought to apologize for two
things in particular: in the first place for their late appear
ance, due in large part to the difficulty of getting right the
multitudinous details, especially those in theNo tes; and in the
second place for the absence of illustrations. Nothing short
of a separate portfolio of about a hundred pictures would
have been of any use; and since considerations of expense
forbade this, I decided to have none at all, but to give all
the references I could to published reproductions.
In spite of the hope I expressed in my text that my
quest for English Apocalypses had been exhaustive, I have
to note that one in private hands has recently been brought
to light. It is of English execution, and belongs to the
Canterbury group. It is a sister book to no. 16 in my list,
containing illustrations of the exposition as well as of the
text, and agreeing with 16 and 44 in certain irregularities
of text. The gloss is in French. Clearly we are not at the
end of discoveries, at home or abroad.
M. R.J.
ETON COLLEGE,
Jan.
1931.
CONTENTS
Prefatory Note . . . . . . . v
Prefatory List of Apocalypses, Manuscript and other
I
Note on the Norwich Apocalypse . . . . 23
THE APOCALYPSE IN ART.
Lecture I. First Period 26
Lecture II. Second Period . 44
Lecture Ill. Second Period concluded 63
Third Period 75
Notes to Lecture I 82
Lecture II 99
"
Lecture Ill 104
"
Index of Libraries II4
PREFATORY LIST OF APOCALYPSES,
MANUSCRIPT AND OTHER
I N each of the three reproductions of illustrated Apoca
lypses for which I have been responsible-the Trinity,
the Douce, and the Perrins-I have given a list of the
manuscripts and other monuments known to me. That list
must be repeated and supplemented here. I base it as
before on the Delisle-Meyer list, which extends as far as
no. 57, and in so doing I believe I consult the convenience
of students, to whom a settled numeration of items is more
valuable than a list based either on chronology or geo
graphy, since, to name no other advantages, the addition of
fresh material causes no dislocation. Such fresh material
is certain to emerge; there must be in the libraries and
private collections ofltaly, Germany, Austria, Belgium, and
Spain, manuscripts that have escaped notice, though for
France one hopes that Delisle's research was exhaustive,
and England, I r.eally believe, has not much more to offer.
I
The points which I have uniformly noticed in the brief
descriptions of the MSS. are their place, date, country of
origin, language and character of text, number and ar
rangement of pictures: references are given to books in
which illustrations or descriptions of them may be found.
Certain features which may serve to link copies together
are set down, but it will be readily understood that my
information is not complete in this particular, nor indeed
in several other respects.
Copies of which I have seen the originals or some repro
ductions are marked with an asterisk.
In spite of the fact that the results of examination are
recorded in the text, a little summarizing of them may be
useful.
To the First Family belong nos. 1-4, 17, 67, 69,83 with 44
I But see Prefatory Note.
B
THE APOCALYPSE IN ART
as a hanger-on: of these 1-3, 44 are English, 4, 67, 69, 83
(Block book) are Netherlandish, 17 is German.
The half-page picture copies are nos. 5-9, 11-13, 15, 16, 28,
40, 41, 43, 44, 46, 47, 50, 51, 63, 66, 86, 88: twenty-three.
Thirteen of these are English, the rest French, six clearly
following the English tradition.
The following contain a prose text in French and have
pictures in the text, with two exceptions in which the text
is in Latin; 18 (Lat.), 19-27,29,30,38,39, 42, 48, 53,58-62,
70, 72, 87, 89 (Lat.): twenty-six. Sixteen are certainly or
probably English, ten French.
These have Latin text and French metrical version, with
pictures at the top of the page; 31-4, 64, 71 : pictures in the
text, 35-7. All are English.
Three copies have almost full-page pictures: 10,45 (with
French text), 65 (Lat.): all are English.
Of copies withfull-page pictures52,57,84, 92 are German:
54 is Netherlandish, 56 Italian.
Anomalous methods of illustration are in 14, 49, 73-5,
all of them French. Also 68 (German): and 89 English.
I have no particulars of 55, 90, 91.
Cycles not contained in books are 76-82, 85: three are
English, three French, one Italian.
References to pages of the text are added.
*1. Paris B.N. fr. 403. Cent. xiii. First Family. English
work. Pp. 48, g8.
Text in French, with the non-Berengaudus gloss: origin
ally had 94 pictures: 2 are missing.
Half-page pictures except in the Life ofJ ohn where there
are two to the page.
Illustrates Life and Death of John: has scenes of Anti
christ. John is bearded throughout: nimbuses are ringed
(composed of small rings).
The Witnesses are slain with the sword: there are devils
in the vintage-scene: the Lion distributes the Vials.
Reproduced in full by Delisle and Meyer, L'Apocalypse en
franyais au Xllle siecle, Soc. d. anc. textes fr., Paris, xgoo.
LIST OF APOCALYPSES 3
*2. Oxford Bodl. Auct. D. 4· 17. Cent. xiii. First Family.
English.
Text confined to Latin inscriptions (including short
pieces of the Berengaudus gloss) on the pictures: otherwise
consists entirely of pictures (92 remain, 4 are missing) two
to a page.
Illustrates Life and Death of John: has scenes of Anti
christ. The nimbuses are ringed.
Reproduced in full by H. 0. Coxe, Roxburghe Club,
1876. P. 47·
*3. New York. Pierpont Morgan MS. 524: formerly M. le
Vicomte Blin de Bourdon. Cent. xiii. First Family. English.
Text and pictures as in no. 2: but the full text has been
added, in Cent. xiv. 83 pictures remain, the rest lost.
Illustrates Life and Death of John: has scenes of Anti
christ. The nimbuses are ringed.
Some pages reproduced in Delisle and Meyer, 1. c. P. 47·
*4. Manchester Rylands Library Lat. 19. Cent. xiv. First
Family. Flemish copied from English archetype. Formerly
Van Hulthem, Didot, Lord Crawford.
Text and pictures as in no. 2: 96 pictures (complete).
Has Life and Death of John and scenes of Antichrist.
Some pages reproduced in Rylands Library Catalogue of
Latin MSS. (James, 1921).
Nos.l-4 are the First Family MSS. used (with the Block
book) by Delisle and Meyer. Others will be found later in
the list, viz.17, 67, 69, 83. P. 47·
*5. Cambrai Bibl. de la Ville 482. Cent. xiii. French.
Text in Latin: a large commentary has been added on
intercalated leaves.
Pictures 8o, half page.
The Beast bites the hand of the Witness: the Lion distri
butes the Vials.
See E. G. Millar in Bull. de la Soc. Fr. pour la Reprod. des
MSS. a Peintures, 1924 (hereafter Millar): also Rohault de
Fleury, Saints de la Messe, and Delisle and Meyer. P. 56.
4 THE APOCALYPSE IN ART
*6. Metz. Bibl. de la Ville. MS. Salis. 38. Cent. xm.
French. Closely allied to 44 &c.
Text in Latin.
Pictures: 66 remain, half page.
The Beast bites the hand of the Witness: the Lion distri
butes the Vials. Islands named.
Pages reproduced in Millar, I.e. A complete set of
photographs is in the British Museum, Dept. of MSS.,
Facs. 57· P. 56.
7. Sold in I 879 by Schlesinger at Paris. Cent. xiv. French:
executed for a lady of the family of De la Tour de Pin.
Text in French with gloss: begins with the letter Piissimo
Caesari in French.
Pictures 85, half page.
Has the Life of John. P. 55·
8. Namur, seminaire. Cent. xiv. French-Flemish.
Text in Latin.
Pictures 85, half page.
The Lion distributes the Vials: the Kings from the East
occur.
Specimen in Le Be.ffroi, iii. 331. P. 56.
*9. Brit. Mus. Add. 35I66. Cent. xiii. English.
Formerly 'Liber domus kalendarum' (a gild of Calen
ders?): family of Blois in Suffolk: Rev. T. D. Turner of
Beccles.
Text, Latin with gloss in red. Begins with Piissimo
Caesari.
Pictures 76 (probably 32 are lost: there is a gap of I 6
leaves in the middle), half page.
Has a very copious Life and Death of John with the
Story of the Robber. The leaves with the death of the
Witnesses and distribution of the Vials are lost. P. 54·
*10. Eton College I77. Cent. xiii. English. Belonged to
a nunnery (name illegible): has pictures prefixed which
coincide with cycle of paintings formerly in Worcester
Chapter house. It is a sister book to Lambeth 434 (no. 45).
LIST OF APOCALY PSES
5
Text in French, shortened, without gloss.
Pictures g8, almost full page.
Has scenes of the Life of John. The Lion distributes
the Vials. Described in my Catalogue of Eton MSS.
P. 55·
*11. Paris B.N. Lat. 688. Cent. xiv. ?French: mediocre
work.
Text in Latin, with gloss. Begins with Piissimo Caesari.
Pictures go, half page. Many unfinished.
Has the Life ofJ ohn. The Eagle distributes the Vials.
Compositions closely akin to those of66. P. 54·
12. Paris B.N. Lat. 14410. Cent. xiv. ?French. From the
Abbey of S. Victor.
Text in Latin.
Pictures 83 ( 2 missing), half page.
The Beast bites the hand of the Witness. The Lion
distributes the Vials. The Kings from the East occur.
Pages are reproduced in Rohault de Fleury 1. c. viii. 55·
P. 6.
5
*13. Brit. Mus. Add. 17333. Cent. xiv. French. From
the Chartreuse of Valdieu near Mortagne (dioc. Seez).
Fine work.
Text, Latin, gloss in French.
Pictures 83, half page.
John is beardless. The Beast bites the hand of Witness.
The Lion distributes the Vials. The Kings from the East
occur.
Pages in Millar, I.e.: in Birch andJenner, Early Drawings:
in Brit. Mus. Facsimiles (Warner), series 2, etc. P. 56.
14. Chantilly Musee Conde 1378 (formerly in the Wester
loo collection). French.
Text, French with commentary. Has Piissimo Caesari in
French.
Pictures 83, in medallion form occupying ff. 36-121.
Has the Life ofJ ohn.
Possibly related to the Bible moralisee: the Apocalypse is